Donald F I'm not a Nightwish fan. I haven't heard a peep about this movie til I watched it. But having come across it, I was pleasantly surprised. Imaginaerum isn't a flimsy band cash-in, but a stand-alone film, enjoyable by metal and non-metal viewers alike.Imaginaerum is a fantasy film, a world inside a fading musician's mind. These kinds of movies can be annoying sits for me. But Imaginaerum actually has rhyme and reason to its bizarre images. Heck, they probably explain too much! There is a lot of exposition dialog. By the end of the movie, you get a good grasp of this guy's life and torments. The effects are pretty good, considering the film's budget. I've seen films with over 10 times the money look way worse.I could have enjoyed delving further into the relationships. The music could have been better, although it was far from awful. Regardless, if you loved films like Pan's Labyrinth or The Fountain, I think this one will quench your thirst.

kingramze Warning that spoilers may be below:This is one of those movies you truly need to watch twice to get the full meaning and impact -- not because there is a twist or it's especially hard to get, but because as things are revealed, you can find parallels between the real world and the dream world. It's not until the final scene when all the jumbled pieces come together that one can see and understand all the metaphors hidden throughout the journey of a dying man with dementia (caused at least in part by multiple strokes) and mental illness coming to terms with his life and struggling desperately to hold on to his most precious memories and the ones he loves.There are, of course, hints everywhere along the way. But, the way the story is presented is disjointed -- memories from random time frames, surreal dreamscapes with metaphors abound and flashes to the present reality all mixed together along the way. Then, there's the musical scenes which often seem forced, but at least they mostly take place in the dreamland -- which I can forgive as a dying musician is likely to have dreams and nightmares including musicals.The lead character is suffering from a condition that causes confusion about when and where he is -- and suffers from random gaps in memory that come and go. This mirrors the style of the movie, writings within the movie, the construction of a roller coaster within the dreamland, and the journey the lead character makes. Tom is a man with deep regret. He is scared of losing his memory, and especially concerned with his relationship with his estranged daughter whom he distanced himself from to protect her -- from himself. He had a troubled history with his own father who suffered from mental illness like himself -- and must come to terms with that as well.The visuals and special effects were very well done - some quite impressively stunning. I'm not a Nightwish fan, but I did enjoy some of the music - especially a few piano melodies. Some have complained about the acting, but I find it believable given the strained relationships and mental states of the characters.The movie is the video equivalent of a surreal painting -- a work of art with beauty and flaws. Not everyone will understand it, and even those that do may not appreciate it. It's not a blockbuster meant to constantly entertain. There aren't any real heroes or villains - or even much of a plot other than the characters' internal struggles. It isn't a true horror or fantasy adventure so much as a heartbreaking story of a troubled, dying man's love for his daughter and her discovery of the depth of that love. I don't expect everyone to get it, but as someone who has lost estranged loved ones that suffered from dementia and Alzheimer's, this one hit home to me.I have to say there aren't many dramas about the inner struggles of the dying mentally ill with settings in horror/fantasy dreamworlds and musical scores that include piano and metal. Love it or hate it, it's unique and I applaud the effort. I can't say whether others will enjoy it or not, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and I was touched by its message.Extreme spoiler:My favorite part is the realization that Tom, a musician who loved creating music, named his daughter Gem. He plays the piano and talks many times about wanting to hear the chords again -- trying to remember them and specifically mentions E minor a few times. At the end, he describes the most beautiful melody ever created by man - the change from G to E minor. G to Em -- GEM... his daughter. It was sort of a Mr. Holland's Opus moment where you realize she was the music of his life.

NeilJThomas I can't believe the current score for this movie is 6.2. This just goes to show that the vast majority of fans, especially young girls, who are of the "can't we just get along" mindset have absolutely no objectivity about anything made by their favorite musicians. The though of screening their latest material before buying, or not buying at all if it's not up to their usual high standard doesn't even enter their heads. they'll buy anything and tell you how great it is.this movie is horrendous, what little plot there is is nonsensical, there's no motivation for anything people do ("tom, let's you and me take a trip, who knows? maybe we'll bump into someone you know", is a great reason to go flying in your pajamas during a snowstorm?) they talk of past events as if it's something you already know, discuss neglect without ever stating how Tom neglected his family, and on, and on and on. Let's face facts. Holopainen is a movie buff and soundtrack lover, and this movie is simply a platform to deliver a soundtrack, but note that only the worst of Nightwish's later material appears here.As for fanatic apologists: I remember a thread on a forum after Tarja's firing where I stated that Annette Olzon was the wrong replacement for her, as she did not have either her vocal range or skill. While the thread had posts from hundreds of people, those who held a similar opinion were a handful only. I remember one post in particular, where a... girl... opined that having heard samples of Olzon's singing she initially doubted that she could fill Tarja's shoes, but that "after watching an interview with her and the band on you tube i've now grown to quite like her, how can you not, she's a sweetie".So her job in the band was to spread sweetness was it? that's what she thought Olzon was hired for? PR? when I pointed this out I was booed by everybody. this deprive artists the chance to learn from their mistakes, people will buy anything so they start to think they're infallible, their material steadily declines until finally after a string of flops it's too late to recover.please be smarter about your purchases, buying this movie because it has the name Nightwish attached to it is throwing away your money and support more products like these being made in the future.who would have even rated this movie at all had it not been attached to Nightwish's name?

KineticSeoul During my elementary years they showed us this cartoon about a flying snowman and a boy. I always found it kinda sad and haunting for some reason and very dreamlike. Now I wouldn't say this is a haunting movie but it does have it's presence. Not a strong one but it's passable, and imaginative in the "A Christmas Carol". Except it has rock music to get you through it and the music is entertaining and catchy. Most of it is by the band "Nightwish" that also makes appearances. When we get older or life gets difficult in some areas we have the tenacity to reminisce of the young good old days or go into a fantasy world. And that is sort of the theme for this movie. Movies like this doesn't get much backing from the studio and it's kind of a indie film. But the makers have room to do whatever they want with it, despite the limitation when it comes to the budget. It's visceral experience and a journey that a lot of us will take someday. It's not a movie I would see again but despite few areas I thought is lacking, this one still has a bit of heart.7/10